Iran says that a team of four people intending to form an Islamic State group cell has been discovered in the country’s southwest.

The region, encompassing the oil producing Khuzestan province has a significant Arab population, some with secessionist tendencies.

Iran’s intelligence minister Mahmoud Alavi who announced the discovery of the group did not provide any details, except saying that it was headed by an individual “whose brother had been killed in Syria fighting for ISIS”.

It is not clear if there was an armed clash or the suspects were arrested without resistance. The operation took place on July 16.

"This team had the intention of sowing destruction in certain areas but the operations were not carried out because of the timely intervention of security forces,” Alavi said, according to Tasnim.

It is very difficult to verify security-related claims made by Iranian officials. They often announce the arrest of ISIS or other armed elements without providing much detail and rarely there is any follow-up news about the fate of those who are captured.